BY NOEL K. GALLAGHER

MaineToday Media, Inc.

The Rev. Canon Stephen Lane has gently brushed off suggestions over the years that he consider becoming an Episcopal bishop.

Then last year, the leader of a retreat brought it up again, and he finally agreed to consider it -- if something came up.

"Then Maine came up," Lane said. "My wife and I both have a very strong sense of being called to this."

Lane will be consecrated Saturday as the ninth Episcopal bishop of Maine, the spiritual leader of Maine's 17,000 Episcopalians in 67 congregations.

The Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to head a major U.S. denomination, will lead the service at the Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland.

"This is the grand adventure of my life," Lane said. "(The consecration) is a very big deal. I'm very excited and a little scared."

Lane was elected Oct. 26, 2007, and will work with Maine's current bishop, the Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, as bishop coadjutor until she retires in September.

Lane, 58, has served the church in roles ranging from small-church pastor in the Rochester, N.Y., area to being a member of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church for six years.

He moved here from Rochester.

The Rev. Nina Pooley, rector of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Yarmouth, described Lane as being "very open, very warm and a very good priest."

"If you are really good at this job, you know it's not about you, it's about the people you serve. That's the kind of bishop we have now, that's what we're used to, and that's what we got again," she said. "I just wanted to jump up and down when we elected him."

On Thursday, the diocese office was abuzz with preparations.

Inside the ornate cathedral, an organist practiced and cleaners moved about the sanctuary. Buckets of bright flowers scented the air and some pews were replaced with folding chairs to increase capacity.

Lane said he spent the days leading up to the consecration on retreat and meditating.

"I don't know if you ever are prepared," he said Thursday. "You just have to present yourself. I'm hoping since God brought me here, He's going to help me do what I need to do."

The Episcopal Church, a Protestant denomination, has faced internal strife in recent years over the ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire and the debate over blessings of same sex couples.

Some congregations around the country have broken off because of the debate, but none in Maine, Lane said.

"Many in the church have agreed to disagree," Lane said. "It's sort of there in the background, but my own sense is that most Episcopalians are proud to be part of a church where everyone is welcome."

More pressing in Maine, he said, will be encouraging congregations to be more actively involved in ministering to their communities, from providing food and other essentials to the needy to reaching out to college communities.

"This is really a key issue for the future of the church," Lane said.

There are also practical economic issues to be addressed. The church faces increased fuel and health care costs, and smaller congregations have fewer members to support their buildings and programs.

"The sort of stability that we were used to in another era is gone and it probably isn't coming back," Lane said. "My sense is that we will have to be much more flexible and much more fleet-footed."

Among his ideas are having part-time clergy or job-sharing leadership positions, or even closing a building if necessary.

"The good news is that Mainers are pretty durable," he said. "We have to focus on how to sustain our ministry in changing times."

Lane, 58, and his wife, Gretchen, a high school science teacher, have three grown children and live in Portland.